missyjackson
GA - Centering Georgia
Posts: 1 
I work at a: Healthcare Facility
My job role is: Healthcare Provider
I am interested in Centering because: it has proven to be an effective method of prenatal care.
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Post by missyjackson on Feb 4, 2016 8:32:04 GMT -5
Please forgive me if this is addressed somewhere else. I'm new to CenteringConnects and new to Centering.
Our Community Health Center in Greensboro, Georgia (rural community about an hour south of Atlanta) is in the beginning of implementing CenteringPregnancy with our first group meeting on February 24th. Due to receiving a grant from the March of Dimes to begin this program there has been a lot of publicity. I have received two calls this week from women in the community who wish to volunteer with Centering after reading articles in the newspaper. One is a retired neonatologist and the other is a childbirth educator and doula.
My question is have any of you utilized volunteers in your program and how?
Thanks in advance for your feedback.
Missy Jackson, WHNP
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Post by John Craine on Feb 4, 2016 13:17:20 GMT -5
Missy, you are indeed very lucky to have such experienced individuals seeking to support your Centering practice. Volunteers could be trained as Centering Facilitators to increase your scheduling flexibility. They could also help enroll / recruit women into your Centering groups. They could also be community ambassadors who go out to high schools, WIC programs and other community partners serving moms and babies to talk about the value of Centering group care (pregnancy and parenting).
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smerrell
CHI Staff 
Posts: 243
My job role is: Staff
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Post by smerrell on Feb 4, 2016 15:17:23 GMT -5
Hi Missy,
Another way practice sites have used volunteers is to invite them to "guest speak" for one of the group sessions. For example, inviting a childbirth educator/doula to your labor and delivery session may be really helpful in talking about comfort in labor and what to expect. When we would invite "guest speakers" to groups at a clinic that I worked at, we would make sure to explain what Centering was and help guide them away from lecture style presentations.
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mhutchison
New Member
Posts: 4
I work at a: Healthcare Facility
My job role is: Healthcare Provider
I am interested in Centering because: I have done Centering at my public health clinics since 1999. I am also a consultant for CHI.
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Post by mhutchison on Apr 3, 2016 20:57:44 GMT -5
I would agree with other comments - how lucky you are to have so much interest, and from skilled people, in your community! I could not echo strongly enough that if you use these folks as "guests" for your groups, they really understand that you don't want them to give a "talk" - that they understand the facilitative model. I'd also suggest booking them for the last 20 minutes or so, to avoid the uncomfortable position of having to get them to stop talking if they don't quite get it. I'd also suggest that you all get your feet on the ground - get some comfort yourselves with Centering and the facilitative model - before bringing these folks in. Maybe in the interim there'd be other things they'd like to help you with! One last comment, some of our most wonderful volunteers have been Centering graduates. We work with low-income women and have had a ton of success inviting some women back to help women learn self-care skills in the first few sessions - they come in with their babes in strollers, and are so competent and proud in the role of teacher - really nice for the other women to see this. Have fun!
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